If a picture's worth a thousand words...

... then these bad boys ought'a have you pissin yer pants!


On our way to Boston's Comedy Connection
*no that's NOT a bad tooth, it's my green spearmint ORBIT GUM!*
mmm YUMMY!

Keep your eyes on the ROAD cousin! I wanna die LAUGHING, not in a car wreck!

Ahhh... people watching in Boston, should be an olympic event!
*I'd place GOLD!*

Why a picture of Faneuil Hall you ask?
Well, I just figure if I'm gonna fit in I might as well look like a tourist, right?
*SAY CHEESE!*

And really, if you're gonna get Faneuil Hall, you can't NOT get Quincy Market!

I almost bought this shirt, LOVED IT!

And this one SPEAKS FOR ITSELF!
Christmas is coming folks... this little baby makes a fantastic Christmas gift,
not only for the adults...

... but also one for the under 3 crowd as well!
hee hee
YANKEES DO YUK DAMNIT!
That's my story & I'm stickin' to it!

Snapped this one for cousin Steve... ENJOY BUDDY!

Ahh... the reasons we're here!
JOSH BLUE!!!, MICHELE BALAN!!!, and KRISTIN KEY!!!


Merely a saircase away from PISSIN' YER PANTS LAUGHTER!

Ok, well maybe not just a staircase, a 'would be' LONG ASS LINE that THIS FINE FELLOW& HIS WOMAN let us CUT!
DIG IT!
(one good turn deserves another... as promised, the pics... ENJOY!)


(I'd be smiling too if I was nearly as pretty as these two!) hehehe


(Here's where I tried to pick a fight between them to make the pics more interesting, but sadly they were too much in love to argue, sickeningly sweet ain't it? LOL)


This pic came out GREAT! And YES I take pics of total strangers... ESPECIALLY AFTER HE JUST SNUCK MY ASS INTO THE FRONT OF A VERY LONG & BORING LINE!
(those of you who know my ass know it's not such an easy thing to sneak ANYWHERE!)
The boy has TALENT!
*grin*


Awww, smoochie smooch! HOPE YOU TWO ENJOYED THE SHOW AS MUCH AS WE DID!
THANKS AGAIN!!!

AND NOW, INTRODUCING: KRISTIN KEY!

Thanks Kristin for one HELL of FUNNY ASS NIGHT!
You are TRULY adorable in every way!

And now... MICHELE BALAN:

Michele, Ma'am I do believe you're the reason I nearly wet myself!
You too have a gift, thank you for sharing it with us!

And now: JOSH BLUE!
(I have a bit of a crush on the boy, CUTE AND FUNNY?
SIGN! ME! UP! *check please*)


Josh... You put the DIS in DISABILITY my friend!
DIS comedy ROCKS!
DIS boy is FREAKIN' FUNNY!
DIS set nearly made me snarf my pina colada out my nose!
DIS night was BEYOND PERFECT!

Thanks to EVERYONE who played a part in my evening, it was truly a night to remember!
(too bad my MS will most likely kick in by morning & I won't remember a thing!)
HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY!
*not*
I'm pretty sure MS stands for MEMORY SUCKS, I think I'm gonna go look that one up...

Practice makes (almost) perfect...

Me: "Ok Ruby, we really should practice taking that picture of you holding your special framed referral pics... "


Ruby: "Ugh, Momma do I have toooo?!"


Me: " C'mon sweetie this won't take but a minute, I'm going to do it again on your actual birthday because that's a special day to BOTH of us! You cuz it's your birthday, Me cuz it's the anniversary of the day I got 'the call' and saw your pretty face for the first time!"




Ruby: (... not paying attention to much of anything aside from trying to figure out a way to get the ladybug pin off the picture frame.)


Me: "Ok Ruby, you just hold this here ok? Just for a minute... there you go honey!"


Ruby: (at first throws her arms out to the side (her sign for 'all done') then grabs the frame, ignoring me & continues to try & remove said ladybug pin... & sadly getting better at her attempts!)
"Sure thing Momma, whatever... just don't pay any attention to the fact that I'm totally gonna swipe this pin right off this thing!"


Me: "C'mon Ruby, just hold this picture for a minute so Momma can take a pic ok?"


Ruby: "A-HA! I GOT IT!" (picture frame now ripped in the corner where the PIN used to be!)


Me: "Awww RUBY!" (carefully taking pin out of my daughter's hand so she doesn't stab herself!)



Ruby: "I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE!"


Me: "Ok honey, I know this isn't fun for you but Momma really wants just one cute shot of you holding your pictures... and you're even wearing your cute yellow sweatsuit which was the first outfit I ever put on you while in China..."



Ruby: "Ugh, hurry up cuz Bear and I have things we have to work on in the playroom!"


Me: "YIPPEE!! There you go Ruby! You sat still like a good girl! LOOK HOW PRETTY YOU LOOK HONEY! Awww Momma loves you baby girl!"


Ruby: "Are we done yet? Can I leave, please?..."


Ahhh, the joys of a HEADSTRONG toddler!

I just CAN'T believe...

... it's August 30th ALREADY!

Where the hell did the time go?

Where the hell did the summer go?

Not that it really matters much since I'm not a big fan of summer anyways.
FALL is my FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR HANDS DOWN!


Followed closely by WINTER!


*yes I LOVE snow!*

Although my dad says: "that's because you're not the one out there shoveling it!"
Not so daddy-O, when I lived in my last place, the only snowblower was YOURS TRULY and & it didn't run on gas!
*just the occasional hot cocoa with marshmallows please!*

It's amazing to me that I'm merely days away from what will not only be the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of 'GOT'CHA DAY' but RUBY'S 2ND BIRTHDAY!
Unbelieveable!

I'm going to do my best to put together a photo timeline of little Miss Ruby Rubes having one photo for each month since they first handed her to me.
Stay tuned...

Oh, and to all those families who just recently received their referrals:
CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE!

MAN DO I LOVE REFERRALS!

It is with much joy & great pleasure that I am pleased to share with you all the face of an angel!
My friends Tricia & Jonathan's precious daughter:

ESTHER LIAN NICOLE!




Chinese Name: Wang Ling Lian
(meaning: Exquisite or delicate lotus)

date of birth: january 29, 2006

currently residing in: yujiang,

yuijiang district swi, Jiangxi Province

height as of june: 22.95 inches

weight as of june: 12.3 lbs

a few facts about our little princess:

© she can hold her head up

© identify strangers

© identify where sounds are coming from

Click HERE to follow their Journey to bring Esther Home!!!

Playing is serious business...

... especially JUST before bedtime!

Leave it to my friend the Librarian...

... to find THIS article to send to me. LOL
She's right when she said " You just can't MAKE this stuff UP!" hahaha!
TOO FUNNY!

Woman crashes when teaching dog to drive

August 28, 2006

BEIJING --A woman in Hohhot, the capital of north China's Inner Mongolia region, crashed her car while giving her dog a driving lesson, the official Xinhua News Agency said Monday.

No injuries were reported although both vehicles were slightly damaged, it said.

The woman, identified only be her surname, Li, said her dog "was fond of crouching on the steering wheel and often watched her drive," according to Xinhua.

"She thought she would let the dog 'have a try' while she operated the accelerator and brake," the report said. "They did not make it far before crashing into an oncoming car."

Xinhua did not say what kind of dog or vehicles were involved but Li paid for repairs.

© Copyright 2006 Associated Press.

CALLING ALL COOKS!

Ok, so I have MANY FAITHFUL readers of Ruby In Her Own Time... and it's all too evident that not only are all of you wonderful people, but you're good hearted as well.
It's also apparent that you ALL ADORE A GOOD RECIPE!
*grin*
Cus I know that everytime I make something new & delicious, Godforbid I don't post the recipe along with the photos, you people are all over me like white on rice!
(pardon the expression)
hehehe

Anyhoo, with THAT said, I am calling on ALL MY READERS, public readers, lurkers, EVERY ONE OF YOU to step up to the plate & help out a dear friend of mine who is desperate to try & beat the Chinese 'no more singles' decree they're putting into effect as of Dec 1st.
She's got only 3 months to put together her dossier where as last time she had 7.
She's crazy determined & won't accept ANY hand outs!
*trust me, I've TRIED!*
SO, she's selling these adorable Cook Books (<---- click me) in order to try & raise the money needed to get her paperchase over & done with so as to be one of the last singles before it's too late. Her daughter Arianna is just precious & would very much like a MeiMei from China and I know that if we all each ordered just ONE cookbook, that it would help TREMENDOUSLY! I just remember all too well how it felt when it was me who was in a bind financially and ALL OF YOU stepped up to the plate to help me & the support was OVERWHELMING! I am beyond blessed to have such a faithful following & am asking you all again to step up once more, but this time for my dear friend Katherine. I have already put my order in for one cookbook & hope that you will too! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! LET'S HELP KATHERINE BRING HOME ARIANNA'S MEI MEI!
*smiles*

I just LOVE shopping...

... with OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY!
hee hee
My friend Karen gave me some dough to spend on bows for her sweet little princess pea and after getting one of every color in the freakin' store, I still had plenty left over to hook her up with TWO Casa Clips AND a funky pair of earrings that just SCREAM hippy chick!
(sorry babe, but you KNOW you are!)
*grin*

Everything's on it's way & should arrive tuesday!

ENJOY!

Nobody likes a rumor...

Earlier today I heard from a good friend of mine the following news...

The CCAA will no longer approve adoption applicants who:

-are older than 45
-single
-do not have some college degree
-have a history of any major illness
-have a history of any arrest
-are extremely obese
-have more than 3 children living in the home

Upon hearing this I decided to give my agency a call to give them the chance
to either confirm or deny the alligations.

I'm sad to report that they were indeed confirmed & it appears that the announcement will be made on Dec 1st of this year. I'm sad for all those wonderful single women out there who had their hearts set on China, unfortunately, unless you're already LID or are well into the paperchase with hopes of being LID on or before Dec 1st, it may not happen for you.

My heart is broken.

Not necessarily for myself, because I was pretty sure that I wasn't going to adopt again,
but it is kinda disheartening to know that the 'option' of changing my mind,
is no longer an option. It's just sad...

Gotta LOVE a REFERRAL!!!

It gives me GREAT PLEASURE to introduce to everyone my friend Christi's beautiful little girl:


Dong Zhuo Zhuo
DOB April 20, 2005
Yangdong SWI
Guangdong Province
Height 70cm
Weight 8.5 kilos
Moderate sleeper, shy and quiet, can be obstinate.
She is close to her caretaker and other children in the orphanage. She was brought there the day after she was born.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEWEST & PROUDEST MOMMY IN BLOGLAND!
You know what this means right? OTHER REFERRALS ARE SOON TO FOLLOW SO ALL YOU WAITING FAMILIES COUNTING DOWN THE MINUTES, YOUR HOUR HAS FINALLY COME! CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!!!

*big teary smile*

Gorgeous...

... simply gorgeous!
A HUGE THANK YOU to Auntie Karen
for taking such a BREATHTAKING photo of my little girl.
It's amazing to me the talent you posess as a photographer!
Thank you for sharing it with us!

Fun With Matty...

... first of all, can I just start this post by saying that my friend Matty ROCKS because tonight he NOT ONLY went with Ruby & I grocery shopping, BUT HE ALSO came back home with us, helped me INTO THE HOUSE with ALL the bags & then stayed to have a few laughs after I put miss Cheeks to bed. He's a riot!
He makes me smile when I need a good pick me up, and he's always been there for me whenever I needed him. (and he's cute too so that never hurts!)


(Matty says he digs my new shampoo... hehehe)


(but that's no reason to slobber your snot all over me buddy!)

(and now he's trying to lick it off... ewwwww)


(once I stop laughing I'm so going to get a tissue!)


( yes Matty, I love you too my friend, you're a good egg, now can I go get a tissue please?)


(and you're not letting go of my hand... this is akward.)

(and more kissing...
I knew I should've bought that pocket pack of tissues at Market Basket!)

(Aww, you know I'm just kidding buddy, you can help me with my groceries any day!)

hehehehe

Funny is as Bored does! (*update*)

Ok, so tonight Karen & I were chatting on the phone & she mentioned to me THIS website she found that turns anything you want into an ad slogan... so without further ado, I give you my favorite slogans of:

(*first of all, I THOUGHT it would make links to the SPECIFIC slogans I fell in love with, it turns out IT DOESN'T! So it's a crap shoot as to what you're gonna get, AND the following, even though they're JUST WHITE TEXT, are HYPERLINKS, you may click on them all. Don't ask me why the one above turned out black, I'm ok with HTML, not a genius though... but working on it every day!*)

RUBY CATE

BEAR

RUBY'S MOMMA

EBENEZER

UNCLE STEVE

AUNTIE KAREN

GWEN

SERIOUSLY SO FUNNY I'M STILL LAUGHING! GIVE IT A GO EVERYONE!
(Just don't have a drink in your mouth!)

Calling all lurkers... ( *'s = claimed their fame )

... the following are just 'some' of the recent visitors I've had to the blog. Just curious who is willing to claim their corner of the world... any brave takers? *grin*

1. Belchertown, Massachusetts (a very frequent visitor with multiple daily visits)
2. Mount Sinai, New York
3. Macon, Missouri
4. Montague, Michigan
5. Mountain View, California

*6. Olds, Iowa

7. Basile, Louisiana
8. Richmond, Virginia

*9. Edinburgh, City Of Edinburgh Scotland

10. Sewickley, Pennsylvania
11. Athens, Alabama
12. Baltimore, Maryland
13. Niagara Falls, Ontario

*14. Corning, New York

15. Englewood, Colorado
16. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina ( always wanted to visit there! )
17. Northbrook, Illinois
18. Villmergen, Aargau Switzerland
19. Pico Rivera, California
20. Suncook, New Hampshire
21. Wallingford, Connecticut
22. Campbell, Victoria Austrailia
23. Smyrna, Tennessee
24. Beijing, China
25. Hiram, Georgia
26. Portland, Oregon

*27. Edmonton, Alberta Canada

*28. Dallas, Texas

29. New Delh, Delhi India
30. Aylmer, Quebec Canada
31. Kinarut, Sabah Malaysia
32. Mulhouse, Alsace France
33. Shanghai, China
34. Placitas, New Mexico

*35. Salt Lake City, Utah

Ok, that's just a taste of the people from all over the world who frequent Ruby In Her Own Time... and you enjoy hearing from me, so it's your turn now to allow me to enjoy hearing from YOU!
Thanks!

Life before Ruby...

... it's hard to imagine my life without my beautiful little girl in it, but oddly enough there was a time before she brightened my world with her smile.

It's funny how something as obscure as an email can bring old memories rushing back as if they happened only yesterday.
This morning, I received a 'virtual kiss' from someone on a dating site that I had joined that was specifically for singles & their animal friends.
I had COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN that I had made a profile for that site a couple years ago.
So, curious to see what it was I had written... I pulled up the old profile & this is what I read:


I am a:




single 34 yr old woman
located in:

Hamilton Massachusetts United States
my ethnicity:

caucasian

religion:

spiritual
I have:

blue eyes

hair:

black
body type:

cuddly

have (human) kids:

0
food:

chocolate diet

drinking:

non drinker
smoking:

no smoking at all

star sign:

no answer
height:

5'2''-5'6'' (157cm-169cm)
occupation:

self-employed
education:

some college
languages:

english (fluent), italian (some)
sports and exercise:

sailing/boating/windsurfing

swimming
walking/hiking/camping

water sports
weights/machines

yoga/meditation
my interests:

arts/crafts

astrology/new age
bird watching

cards/boardgames
computers/internet

cooking
dining out

diy
gardening/landscaping

movies/cinema/videos/tv
museums/galleries/art

music - rock
nature

shopping/antiques
video games

watching sports
more about me:

I'm a single girl in my early 30's and my best friend in the world is my 8 year old English Cocker Spaniel Ebenezer. Did I mention he's handsome? =) I am one of those silly people who loves my dog more than myself I think and anything I can do that can include him is something worth doing. =) I work as a professional Nanny and love my job as well. Unfortunately working close to 55 hours a week doesn't lend Ebby and I much free time to get out & meet others & their pals as well. I would just love to find some people who are local to me within reason to get together to let the dogs play or go for a walk or maybe even just head over to PETCO together for an afternoon. If you're interested, I'd love to hear from you! =)

About My Pet(s)

Pet(s):

dog
Name(s):

Ebenezer
low down on my
pet(s):

Ebenezer, or Ebby as I lovingly call him, is an 8 year old AKC English Cocker who is just as handsome as can be. He's red with big beautiful brown eyes and a fantastic disposition. He's amazing around children because my work as a professional Nanny has afforded me the luxury of raising him in their company so he loves them to pieces & is very gentle & sweet!
my pet(s) would
describe me as:

If Ebby could talk he'd say I was the best Momma in the world. He is spoiled beyond belief and I always make sure that he gets whatever it is his little heart desires. He might say that he wished that we had more 'friends with doggies' though, thus, why we're here! =) Are you that new friend we've been waiting for?

About My Date


I am a woman seeking a man age 30 to 37
for:

activity partner

casual dates
friendship

relationship
romance

my ideal date:

Someone with a great sense of humor who is honest & confident and comfortable in their own skin without being too cocky. A non smoker who enjoys the simple things life has to offer & includes their best friend every step of the way.

About My Pet's Date

My pet(s) is seeking a:

dog
for:

casual

hanging out in the park/beach
long walks

roll in the hay/grass
romance

treat and a conversation
my pet's ideal date:

Ebenezer loves to meet other friendly dogs to hang out with and enjoy the outdoors with. He is very good at sharing his cookies and water bowl and will even let you enjoy a scratch or two from his Momma, but just remember that she's his. He loves going for very long crazy walks to leave his mark on EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING in sight, which means ten million stops along the way, turning what would otherwise be a 5 minute walk around the block into an EVENT WORTHY OF AN ENTIRE AFTERNOON AND SEVERAL WATER BOTTLES!

Reading that brought back so many memories of my beautiful boy... it made me smile from ear to ear & filled my eyes with loving tears for the loss of my best friend.
He truly was my soul mate, he just was alot shorter &amp; fuzzier than I had imagined he'd be.
;)
And now Ruby's home with me & she is my soul mate for life... I know she wouldn't mind sharing that spot with mister Ebby, she still walks around the house, sees pictures of him & throws her head back in true Ebby style & howls in his honor.
Two soulmates in one lifetime? I'd say I'm pretty damn lucky!
I love you both SO MUCH Ruby & Ebenezer, always & forever.


*Oh, and I didn't respond to the gentleman who sent me the virtual kiss...
I just didn't have the heart to tell him that my fuzzy friend wasn't with me anymore.
*sigh*
=*(

IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!

ForEVER now it seems I've been waiting & wondering WHEN THOSE GENIUSES at BATH & BODY WORKS would REALIZE that we women NEEDED to be able to buy YUMMY SMELLING



SHAMPOOS <--- CLICK ME

AND



CLICK ME ---> CONDITIONERS!!!

This is just evil news, because now not only am I going to smell yummy,
BUT SO WILL MY HAIR!
hee hee
*evilgrin*
My next date should be VERY interesting... to say the LEAST!

They were on sale 2 for $10- which isn't a bad price at ALL!
So you KNOW I brought home four bottles!
hehehe

BRING ON MY MORNING SHOWER!

Things I wish I knew...

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this before but my child is completely sensitive to sounds.
Not just any sounds, but specifically LARGE MACHINERY!
A lawnmower, a drill, a power saw, a power sander, street crews working outside the house, the vaccuum, the washer & dryer, the dishwasher... you name it!

If it's electric & makes a noise, she's TERRIFIED!
Not just worried, or cautious acting- but downright FRIGHTENED!
She'll run screaming to me from wherever it is she's at in the house & throw herself into my arms, shaking until the sound STOPS!

It just makes me wonder, why is it that she'd be afraid of such things?
Her paperwork says she was found at 2 days old at the front entrance of an emergency help center, although her finding ad says a 'salvage center'.
Which one was accurate? I'll never know...

Were these places LOUD? Were her cries muffled & unheard because of those sounds?
Was she subsequently not found as fast as she could've been had it not been for the noise?
Did her birth mother immediately abandon her moments after giving birth as her paperwork says her umbilical chord was still attached? Perhaps the drama & noises surrounding the birth, abandonment & ultimate finding place all rolled into one was too much for my little girl to handle.

It breaks my heart that there are things that I notice about her that I've never noticed in any other child I've had the pleasure of caring for over the past 16 years.
Her little life didn't start out as theirs... she wasn't held & kissed & loving looked after from the moment of her birth.

Sure her birth mother could've held her, I just can't imagine her NOT holding her baby, if only for a brief time to hug her, kiss her & tell her how sorry she was for what she was about to do. I'm sure it was the hardest thing she's ever done in her life... and I've got to believe that not a day goes by that she doesn't wonder what happened to her baby.
So, for all the 'unanswered questions' I have about her past, her birthmother probably has just as many about her future & will have them till the day she dies.
Each of us with unanswered questions, each of us having to learn to live life without those answers, each of us loving a little girl in our own way, each of us 'mother'.

I can't imagine being in her shoes, not even for a moment because before I ever saw Ruby in person, after only seeing pictures of her, I know that I never could've walked away from her, ever.
I know that the situation in China is far different than here in the states... but desperation is desperation, regardless of where on the map one calls 'home'.
When I was in china & I asked about her finding place & got the run around.
Nobody seemed to want to answer me.
I did get alot of:
"No, she ok, it ok, you not worry..."
etc...

I didn't really think that someone would just sit down & say,
" Ok well here's the deal..."
and give me all the details of that day she was found, but man would it be nice.
I just know it would answer alot of questions I have on certain behaviors she displays concerning things like those sounds.

I know it's something I will probably never know, so I have to just let go of that urgency to find out & surrender it to the universe & try my best to move on, for both mine & my daughter's sake. I hope her birthmother can find a way to move on as well & I hope she knows in her heart that her baby, now my little girl, is safe & happy in the world, with a Momma who couldn't be prouder... even if I have to wait till she's sound asleep to run the dishwasher, do the laundry and vaccuum the living room. It's a very small sacrafice for one very sweet little girl who holds the biggest piece of my heart.
I love you Ruby Cate!

But it sure would be nice... where's a working time machine when you need one?!

Ebenezer's Rose...

... is ALMOST as beautiful to me as he was.
I miss you Ebby, every minute of every day pal.
XoXoXo

Tea for three...

... with a side of toes, please.
*smile*